Lenny Dykstra Pleads Not Guilty To Bankruptcy Fraud

Former New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Lenny Dykstra pleaded not guilty Monday in a federal case where he's accused of embezzling money from a bankruptcy estate. An out-of-sorts Dykstra appeared in a Los Angeles federal courtroom where he entered his plea while flanked by a new attorney, a deputy federal public defender. His previous lawyer, Mark Werksman, wouldn't comment about why he no longer represented Dykstra, but noted a judge has declared the one-time baseball star indigent. Federal prosecutors contend Dykstra, 48, sold or destroyed more than $400,000 worth of items from an $18.5 million mansion without permission of a bankruptcy trustee. When U.S. Magistrate Judge John McDermott asked Dykstra if he understood the charges, the ex-big leaguer gave an incoherent response. "I don't understand it, but I understand them," said Dykstra, who appeared dazed. [AP]